1992 - LA RIOTS

1992- LA riots

1. Cause:

* Surface cause:
In 1992, Rodney King and his two other friends were driving west on the freeway, and got pull over by four members of LAPD( Los Angeles Police Department). And, King was hardly beaten by the four LAPD with clubs, and the incident was recorded by a person who live in nearby at the area. This evidence, the recording film, released to the public, and LAPD said that the Rodney King was resisting. However, the resisting part was not recorded. In the court, the four officers acquitted on almost all charges because the part of the film was so blurred that jury cannot see what was exactly happened. Therefore, court decision was not quality because it was self-defense.

*LAPD beating the Rodney King.:

*Underlying cause:
There were tension between African American society and Korean American society because a Korean American shop-owner shot and killed an African American Girl. But, courts decided that she is not guilty, but it gave her five years probation. Moreover, increasing number of the Korean American stores and employees started hurting to African Americans’ employment. Also, Korean American store owners refused to hire African Americans at that time. Hence, this incident was also counted as partial reason of the riots.


2. Riots:
After the recording was released, all the African Americans got upset what was really happened. Therefore, the riots began. It began in April 29 by African Americans who were pulling over the one white driver and attacking. Since the incident, the violent riots expanded most of the Los Angeles city especially the Korean town. The main targets of the violence were white and Korean Americans’ store. The riots went through six days. There were curfew and National Guard with U.S. Army. After riots, fifty three people died, 2000 people got injured. Property damage might be $800 million up to $1billion losses, and the riots destroyed 1,100 buildings with fire.

3. Analysis.
Because of the riots, 90% of Korean town were destroyed. Even though other area were well protected by U.S. Army, Korean town was right in middle of the riots. Korean Americans had been trying hard settling down in the new environment. However, all their efforts destroyed by just few days. The number of unemployed African Americans was increasing, while the number of Korean immigrants was well settling down with owning their own stores. Hence, African Americans thought that Koreans took their wealth. And the young African American girl’s death was the trigger to their hatred against to Koreans. Even though Korean community well settled in LA, they had a huge problem that communicates with other communities such as African American. They got lesson from the riots, so Korean community in LA has kept trying to harmonize with other community. For example, it presents the fifteenth anniversary marching with all the different minority race communities in Korean town on April 22nd.
The riots became big motives for American pop culture such as film, literature, plays, television, and music. For examples, Ice Cube, a gangster rapper, wrote a song called “We Had to Tear This Motherfucka Up,” which expresses the sentiments similar to the rioters. Moreover, his another song, “Black Korea” on his 1991 album was about the racist characterization of South Korean store owners. In literature, Len Deighton’s novel, “Violent Ward” in 1993 was about a detective mystery in the Raymond Chandler vein set against the background of the riots. Also, Marvel's comic series “Runaway” makes several references to the riots. Early in the series, one character says "every time you see something you don't understand, you call it evil and start throwing chairs through a Starbucks window". Later, when fighting off advancing policemen, Chase shouts "This is for Rodney King, y'all!" Finally, when she hears a report on something attacking Starbucks buildings, Nico comments "I didn't know that protesters were back in town". Finally, GTO(Grand Theft Auto: Sand Andreas) reminds with the riots, with setting the final missions as killing the acquittal of two extremely corrupt police officer, whom causes riots in the city like 1992 riots.